Massachusetts Medical Society says Governor’s budget does little to resolve stresses on health care system

Waltham, Mass. January 30 2004--The president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, commenting on the state budget released today by Governor Romney, said that the state’s health care system is “very fragile” and that continued underfunding of health care is taking a serious toll on patients, physicians, hospitals, and health care providers.

Thomas E. Sullivan, M.D., president of the 18,000-member statewide association for physicians, said that “We recognize the state is in fiscal straits. But the fact remains that health care is still underfunded in Massachusetts. The Governor’s proposed budget perpetuates a situation that has been existing for years.

“It is the height of irony that in a state that has a reputation for some of the world’s best health care, we continue to fall short in health care funding.”

Sullivan said that patients, physicians, hospitals, and health care providers are all feeling the brunt of this shortfall. Eligibility for services is continually being tightened, and people are losing specific services as well as being dropped from coverage entirely. Physicians and health care providers are battling rising costs, declining reimbursements, and in the case of physicians, soaring medical liability insurance premiums.

Sullivan said the combination of declining reimbursements and rising liability premiums has been a cause of particular concern in the physician community for the last several years. Some private group obstetrical practices are now paying in excess of $1 million for liability insurance, and individual neurosurgeons, already in short supply in the state, are paying more than $100,000.

“The viability of physician practices throughout the state is in jeopardy,” Sullivan said, “and the number of doctors closing their doors, curtailing services, or leaving the state is rising.”

Sullivan pointed to the recent flu outbreak as an example of how fragile our health care system is. “Hospitals and doctors offices were jammed with patients,” he said, “straining our resources to the limits. We were fortunate to get though it. And as the number of uninsured in the state rises quickly -- some estimates are now at 500,000 -- the burden on our hospitals and public health facilities will only become greater.”

“Investments in our public health are some of the wisest we can make,” Sullivan continued. “An ounce of prevention has always been one of the best ways to cut long-term costs. Our public health infrastructure has been eviscerated in recent years and should not be subject to further cuts.”

Sullivan argued for a fundamental redesign of our healthcare system, including professional medical liability reform. “Such an effort will improve care at no additional cost to the taxpayer,” he said.

On behalf of physicians and their patients, Sullivan called for a “cogent, inspiring, and detailed vision of the future of our health care system.” He said the Medical Society and its members are committed to working toward that goal, and he urged other health care providers, business leaders, and public sector officials to begin now to achieve that goal.

The Massachusetts Medical Society, with more than 18,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the physicians and patients of Massachusetts. Founded in 1781, the MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. The Society owns and publishes The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal Watch family of professional newsletters, AIDS Clinical Care, and produces HealthNews, a consumer health publication. For more information, www.massmed.org






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